"Let's head over there."
Biscuit pointed in a direction. "There's a good spot over there."
She winked at the two boys. "You probably have things you don't want others to see either, right?"
Kisho and Amos nodded at the same time.
Kisho looked at C·L and said, "Mr. C·L, my friend and I will head over there first."
C·L gave a slight nod.
Kisho and Amos followed behind Biscuit.
After Biscuit displayed her strength, none of the examinees present dared to say a single word about the examiner giving special guidance to certain candidates.
They could only watch as the two young heroes slowly followed the great demon lord disguised as a loli, their faces filled with admiration.
...
In the valley.
This was an open area about one kilometer wide within Blackrock Canyon, surrounded on all sides by pitch-black stone walls.
Biscuit stopped at the center of the clearing, turned around, and looked at the two of them.
"You're both Nen users, right?"
"Just come at me directly. Don't hold back, and use whatever moves you like."
Hearing this, Kisho was momentarily stunned.
Amos silently bent down, reached out, and with a swipe, pulled a dagger from inside his long boots.
"My, my~" Biscuit looked at Amos and nodded in satisfaction, then frowned at Kisho.
"White-haired boy, you should learn from your friend—be more decisive. Right, your names are Kisho and Amos, weren't they?"
Suddenly, an invisible yet imposing aura spread from Biscuit's body.
She smiled at the two boys whose expressions had instantly turned serious.
"Now then, begin!"
"Amos!"
As Kisho spoke, he handed the badge to him. "I'll take the lead."
Amos took the badge, activated it with Nen, and nodded heavily.
Kisho's figure vanished from Amos's sight, moving as fast as a dark shadow as he rushed toward Biscuit.
"Oh?"
A trace of appreciation flashed in Biscuit's eyes, but she simply raised her hand casually and waved—
Fist met palm. To Biscuit's surprise, she was pushed back half a step by Kisho's punch.
"Quite strong, boy~ But aren't you a Transmuter?" she asked in confusion.
After blocking Kisho's punch, Biscuit was about to press down on his fist and counterattack when the corner of her eye caught a cold gleam—
Amos's attack had arrived!
The poisoned dagger aimed at Biscuit's arm and stabbed fiercely.
He didn't target a vital point because attacking the arm would more directly restrict her movements.
With a sharp "clang—"
The dagger struck Biscuit's arm and produced the sound of metal clashing against stone—the Nen-infused blade failed to break through her defense.
Amos's eyes darkened slightly, but he did not linger and quickly retreated.
Although he hadn't injured her, the strike had achieved its purpose.
Kisho had already broken free from Biscuit's counter-control and silently reappeared at Amos's side.
The two stared at Biscuit, their expressions slightly tense.
"There's just a tiny bit of pain," Biscuit said with a smile as she waved her arm. "How long have you two been learning Nen?"
Kisho: "A little over a year."
Amos: "Less than a year."
Biscuit widened her eyes at that. "Really?"
Well now, she had discovered two pure, natural gemstones again—already dazzling without much polishing.
She asked, "May I ask what kind of person taught you Nen?"
Kisho: "Mine isn't convenient to talk about."
Amos paused slightly, then reluctantly pointed at Kisho.
"Mine's this guy."
Biscuit looked at Kisho. "Is that so?"
Kisho smiled at Amos and nodded. "You could say that."
"Then there's no problem. But Kisho—hmm, I'll just call you that."
Biscuit raised a finger. "The master who taught you Nen probably isn't very good at teaching."
Kisho: "…"
"There are issues with your 'Ryu,' 'Ken,' and 'Ko.'"
She paused. "Calling them issues might not be quite right. Maybe your master only gave you a rough explanation.
"Even if he himself can use them flawlessly, when someone with less experience like you does, it ends up lacking staying power."
Kisho: "…"
To be honest, the fact that his "teachers" could teach him how to use it at all was already impressive.
If you asked them for more detailed explanations or theory, they would probably give you a lump on your head and tell you to discuss theory with that lump instead.
That group firmly believed that as long as you got beaten enough times, you could learn anything.
—Kisho preferred to believe they said that because they didn't know the theory themselves.
"It can't be helped." Amos patted Kisho on the shoulder and looked at Biscuit.
"This guy and I never expected a master who knew everything and was willing to teach us patiently in detail. Being able to learn that much is already amazing."
"Is that so~"
Biscuit nodded, not intending to pry further.
"Then let's do this. As long as the two of you can satisfy me, I'll tell you how to improve your techniques."
The two boys paused slightly after hearing her words. Without any need for verbal communication, they launched another attack on Biscuit.
...
The sound of fists and kicks colliding rang out endlessly for a time.
Kisho led the offense.
Even without reverting to her original form, dealing with the boy's strength and speed required a small but noticeable effort from her.
As for Amos—his Nen ability likely did not belong to the three upper combat-oriented categories.
But with his ruthlessness and decisiveness, the dagger in his hand always forced her to divert her attention at crucial moments, use Ken to defend, and create openings for his companion.
Biscuit looked at the two boys with satisfaction.
After all, the gap in strength was obvious. From when the sun hung high in the sky to when the moon reached its zenith, the two boys—beaten into swollen faces—still failed to earn a single "I'm satisfied" from Biscuit.
Moonlight poured down.
Biscuit stood at a distance, facing the two whose offensive had slowed.
Though she was already quite satisfied with them, she still wanted to test their limits.
She stared at the two panting and utterly exhausted boys and said slowly,
"Is that all? Kisho, what about the move you used in front of the Spider cave?"
"But you probably don't have the strength left to use it again."
Kisho's eyes widened instantly. "...How do you know about that?"
Biscuit chuckled.
After a moment of silence, Kisho said,
"That move isn't easy to coordinate with Amos. But if you want to see it, I can show you."
Biscuit wagged her finger.
"Hmph, you'd better try harder. At your current level, you still can't get an excellent evaluation from me."
Kisho fell silent.
He glanced back at Amos. Amos gave a slight nod and stepped back.
Kisho looked at Biscuit again.
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. In that instant, the aura around his entire body solidified.
He raised both hands and held them facing each other.
A Fire Whirl compressed to the extreme spun between his palms.
Kisho's brows furrowed.
Before this, the longest he could compress it was five seconds.
If he wanted to make Biscuit "satisfied"…
Cold sweat drenched his entire body. Overdrawing his Nen ability also brought waves of dizziness crashing over him.
Biscuit stared at the thing in Kisho's palms, and the playful interest on her face suddenly vanished.
"Six, seven… eight…"
Kisho was already on the brink of his limit. One second later, he broke through it—
Within the Fire Whirl burned flames brighter than the sun. It swept forward, shattering countless stones, carving deep, smoking trenches into the hard black rock of the ground.
With the speed of a whirlwind and the heat of the sun.
Firelight reflected in Biscuit's eyes.
"Boom————!"
A deafening explosion echoed throughout the entire canyon.
At the exit, the sleeping examinees were startled awake and looked in this direction.
Amos caught Kisho, who had exhausted all his strength, and watched speechlessly as a "burly man" in a frilly dress appeared atop the cliff.
The burly man turned around, discreetly wiped the sweat from the corner of her forehead, and withdrew her gaze from the large section of rock wall that Kisho had blasted apart.
"This brat is really fierce! Is he an Enhancer or a Transmuter?!"
As she thought this, she turned and glared viciously at Amos.
"If you dare say a word about this, you're dead!"
The fearless Amos, faced with her threat, abruptly shrank his neck and stood there quietly.